<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>blow a kiss, fire a gun by valery_snowflakes</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23253160">blow a kiss, fire a gun</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/valery_snowflakes/pseuds/valery_snowflakes'>valery_snowflakes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Banana Fish (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5+1 Things, Fix-It of Sorts, M/M, also everyone on banana fish had a crush on eiji at one point and you can't convince me otherwise, because chapter 24 never happened and this is the hill i will die on, canon compliant up to chapter 23, dubcon in the sense that eiji doesn't get asked if he can be kissed, like honestly fuck that man god i hate him so much, no beta we die like men, tw for dino and his shitty ass behaviour</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 16:27:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,959</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23253160</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/valery_snowflakes/pseuds/valery_snowflakes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>And this is by far his first kiss, nor is it the most experimental or wildest one, for that matter.</p><p>Still, as Eiji closes his eyes and pushes in closer, he finds out this is the first kiss of his that has felt like something.</p><p> </p><p> (Or the five times Eiji was kissed, and the one time he kissed back).</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>320</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>blow a kiss, fire a gun</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I have fics left unattended since like, late 2018, but the other day my Banana Fish calendar came in the mail and made me rewatch like, half the episodes and then I remembered I had this abandoned idea of my lil' Eiji bab being smooched by half the population of New York and thought... eh I'm quarantined why the fuck not.</p><p>Title comes from Major Lazer &amp; DJ Snake feat. MØ— Lean On</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>one.</strong>
</p><p>When Ash pulls him in, he tastes of copper and regret.</p><p>It’s Eiji’s first kiss, so he isn’t sure if that’s supposed to be a bad thing, but he doesn’t get too much time to dwell on that seeing as a tongue pushes violently against his lips, parting them open and being met with very little resistance.</p><p>Ash keeps his eyes closed, and although Eiji can feel his slowly drooping shut, he is immediately stopped by the hard look that crosses the Lynx’s jade eyes as he briefly opens them, deepening the kiss and pressing his tongue even deeper, almost as if he’s trying to eat Eiji’s mouth with his own.</p><p>It’s only when Ash pulls back that Eiji realizes there’s a weight on his tongue that hadn’t been there prior to the kiss, and his eyes widen with understanding, a look that quickly changes to surprised when a hand cups his bottom and squeezes slightly, hold releasing as soon as it appeared.</p><p>“See you, sweetie. Bye,” Ash winks, not letting his flirtatious façade down for even a moment, and then it seems he turns to look at the other two men, but Eiji’s head is spinning and he can’t seem to find his focus, so he could be wrong.</p><p>Both Ibe and Charlie stare at him, flabbergasted, as Ash continues his unbothered trek back to his cell. Ibe-chan asks something, wide eyes full of worry, but Eiji is too focused trying to work out whatever the fuck just happened to really register the words, so he nods fervently, mutters a half-assed excuse and rushes to the bathroom, hands cupped over his mouth almost like he’s afraid to throw up.</p><p>Maybe it’s because of that anxious look in his eyes that no one dares stop him, and a kind officer even points him in the direction of the restrooms before offering him a gentle smile that Eiji wishes he could return, but he’s a man on a mission and he fears that opening his mouth will somehow reveal the object in it and get him, or<em> even worse, Ash</em>, in trouble.</p><p>It’s only once Eiji has made sure he’s alone inside the lavatory and securely inside the stall, carefully sitting on the pushed-down lid of the toilet, that he cups both of his palms around his mouth and coughs, pushing both hands away from his face to look at the object that has landed between his fingers.</p><p>With a surprisingly steady grip, Eiji pops the pill open.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>two.</strong>
</p><p>Cape Cod is the extreme opposite of what Eiji expects it to be, but then again, he wasn’t expecting much. Ash was facing this trip like a man walking to his execution, and while by this point Eiji had a vague idea that they could pretty much be walking straight into their deaths, he refused to damper his mood like that.</p><p>So far, it has definitely been like a punch to the gut, what with the horrible way in which they were welcomed by Jim Callenreese and the state the house was in, so maybe Ash was sort of right about that frown upon his face when Max brought his hometown up for the first time.</p><p>However, just like a punch to the gut, it allows for healing after. Eiji had spent the night prior sat in the dock next to Ash, listening to the younger boy recall stories from his childhood and whisper them quietly into the night sky, and he could’ve sworn that Ash slept somewhat more peacefully after sharing those memories.</p><p>The next morning, too, proved to be a steppingstone in the road towards recovery. Eiji had been woken up by the sound of gunshots, and for a moment he could’ve sworn his heart had stopped beating, but then he’d noticed the absence of Ash in the room, and the lack of any furious screaming, so he risked a peek out of the window and felt a gentle smile tugging at his lips the moment bleary eyes focused a blond head yards up front, throwing in some warmer attire before carefully side-stepping the other three men sleeping in the floor and making his silent way up to Ash.</p><p>Just like Eiji, Shorter too had been woken up early by the gunshots. But he had known it was Ash when the first bottle breaking was faintly heard from a distance, so he’d resigned himself to staring at the cracks in the ceiling and pretending to be asleep while Eiji sneaked out of the house and into Ash’s awaiting open arms, even if the both of them were idiots painfully unaware of it.</p><p>It wasn’t hard to see what Ash thought special about Eiji, the reasons for which he was willing to keep him around this long. Eiji was a doe-eyed soul full of amazement and kindness, he had never once wavered in the time he’d been around them, even though gangs, mafia and trafficking rings were certainly the last thing he’d expected to face coming to New York.</p><p>Shorter had felt the pull of his heartstrings from that first evening in Chang Dai, staring at a poorly-disguised moron who thought he was slick when he really wasn’t, but that didn’t matter because he genuinely wanted to help and the need to make things right overshadowed any other task at hand.</p><p>(And the he’d also known, hours later, that Eiji’s heart tugged towards Ash. So  even if he was till infatuated with Eiji by then, his score chances were slim to none).</p><p>Which is maybe the reason why, when an hour and a half later Eiji comes to wake him up, careful hands gently rocking him from side to side, Shorter blinks his eyes open, does a quick sweep of the perimeter to verify that there are no peeking adults nearby, and grins at Eiji before bringing a hand up and smashing their lips together.</p><p>It’s a sweet, short kiss, perhaps the mildest one Shorter had ever given in his life. Even so, it leaves him burning up from the inside out, lips tingling like they would after a specially heated make out session.</p><p>The soft brush of lips, swift as it was, seems to be enough to startle Eiji into jumping a few feet back, and Shorter uses the temporary separation to push himself into his feet and stretch out his sleepy limbs.</p><p>“Shorter?” Eiji asks after a few beats, sitting cross-legged on the floor, one hand hovering over his lips and the other one pressed against his chest like he’s just received an electrical shock. <em>And maybe,</em> Shorter think,<em> he just might have.</em></p><p>“Wanted to do it at least once,” the gang leader shrugs, an apology at the tip of his tongue, but he swallows the urge to drop to his knees and beg for forgiveness back at the same time that the soft smell of pancakes wafts through his nose. “So, I take it breaksfast’s ready?”</p><p>Without waiting for an answer, Shorter grins and begins descending the stairs two-at-a-time, not even looking back to see if Eiji is following, letting his nose lead him towards the kitchenette and frowning when he sees a note on the counter from Ibe saying that they should head over to Green Hill Diner if they want something more substantial than watered-down pancakes made from years-old batter.</p><p>He finds Ash and Eiji both waiting for him outside of the house, sat on the porch and talking quietly to one another, probably having already gotten the memo. Eiji is the first to notice him staring through the threshold, and he waves Shorter down with a semi-awkward smile before standing up, dusting off his knees and offering a hand to Ash to help him to the same.</p><p>The walk to the Callenreese’s diner is significantly less lively that it would’ve been if Eiji didn’t keep stuttering each time he and Shorter locked eyes and if Ash would just stop staring between them both with a furrowed brow. But before he has time to ask anything, Jennifer swings the door to the diner open and beckons them in with a warm smile and an even warmer bowl of soup in her hands.</p><p>Luckily, Eiji doesn’t bring it up at breakfast, or after that. A part of Shorter kind of wants him to do it, see if maybe he can still another quick kiss in the midst of it, but an even bigger, smarter part of him knows that their peck was a one-time-thing and that if he tried to steal a kiss again Ash would probably put the fear of God back into him.</p><p>Still, the want eats at him at any given moment, eyes flicking to Eiji whenever they are in close vicinity and heart aching when they’re more than twelve feet apart, wondering what it would be like again to put his hands on Eiji’s cheeks and pull him in for a more deliberated kiss.</p><p>He dies before he gets the chance to find out.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>three.</strong>
</p><p>Dino’s mansion is wide, luxurious and completely devoid of human mercy. Eiji knows this from the second Yut-Lung ties him to the bed, black eyes shining with unshed tears and focused straight on the knots like they’ll magically turn into warrior serpents and prevent what’s to come from happening.</p><p>(They don’t, because Yut-Lung learnt long ago that magic is reserved for tales of royalty and happiness, and he couldn’t be further away from that. Even so, sometimes he likes to imagine there’s more to life than sleeping with older men to do his brothers’ bidding).</p><p>Eiji cranes his neck, trying to get a good look at Yut-Lung from his position facing the mattress, but it is very difficult when both of his arms are tied to the headboard and allow for little to no movement.</p><p>“Ah, wonderful,” Dino coos from where he’s sat on a plush armchair, steps away from the bed. Eiji sees Yut-Lung tense at the sound of his voice and he feels sick to his stomach, the muscles in his throat clenching with the effort of wanting to holding the vomit threatening to break out and splurge over the feather-white pillows, instead swallowing it back down. “You sure know how to tie your knots, Yut-Lung. I take it that’s from personal experience?”</p><p>Yut-Lung grits his teeth, freezing in place, and Eiji has to forcefully bite down his tongue to prevent the onslaught of insults from spilling out. The pale, frail hands fastening the rope at his wrists tighten around the headboard like that will somehow keep their owner grounded.</p><p>“A little bit of this, a little bit of that, monsieur,” Yut-Lung concedes after a pregnant pause, the look on his face morphing from one of disgust to a flirtatious one. “But nothing beats experience, as I’m sure you’re well aware of.”</p><p>“Indeed,” Dino purrs, then his dirty eyes flicker to Eiji and the visceral smile on his face widens. “Experience which I’m quite sure our new pet bunny lacks.”</p><p>Eiji feels his blood run cold at that statement, the puke in his throat resurfacing in a flash of palpable fear and horrid disgust.</p><p>“He won’t be lacking in any field in some time, though,” Yut-Lung adds in a sickeningly sweet voice, but Eiji is perceptive enough to sense the venom they’re laced in. Venom that is lacking in his eyes, however, when they flicker down to Eiji with a silent apology.</p><p>“You’re right, he won’t,” Eiji hears more than sees Dino tilt his head, the soft rustle of his robe’s fabric against the velvet of the armchair. “And since you’re such a good master, Yut-Lung, I take it you’re willing to teach our newbie the ropes?”</p><p>It’s all Eiji can do to not scream a thousand and one curse words in that moment, instead hiding his head in the pillow under his chin to negate Dino the view of his flowing tears. He will not give him that satisfaction.</p><p>As if Yut-Lung needs any further prompting, or perhaps a well-masked threat, Dino adds, “I’ve always enjoyed a good show.”</p><p>The hands previously curled around the headboard slide carefully down to Eiji’s wrists, giving the rope a painful twist that forces him to lay on his side where Yut-Lung’s hands gently guide him to lie down on his back.</p><p>The Black Dragon looks down at him contemplatively for a few seconds, and Eiji feels all the blood drain from his face at the emotionless look in Yut-Lung’s deep black eyes, which this close appear almost purple. Then, as if resigned, he flips a curtain of black hair over his left shoulder so that it doesn’t disrupt Dino’s vision and puckers up, cold breath inching right above Eiji’s lips.</p><p>“Just follow my lead,” he whispers, breathing a resigned sigh through his nose, and then he presses his lips against Eiji’s.</p><p>This kiss is nothing like Eiji’s other two kisses. But, if he had to compare, Eiji probably would’ve said that it was closer in feeling to Ash’s prison kiss. Desperate, needy, throbbing and aching in all the wrong ways, a friction in all the wrong places.</p><p>But unlike that prison kiss, there’s nothing remotely gentle about this one, nothing kind or caring in the way Yut-Lung thrusts his tongue in Eiji’s mouth almost like he wants to fit his whole self inside of it, like maybe if he makes himself small enough he’ll fit right into the space where Eiji’s gums and his teeth collide and maybe, just maybe, be able to run away from all this madness.</p><p>A silent tear trails down Eiji’s cheek and Yut-Lung is quick to wipe it away, his hand snaking its way up to curl into his soft, dark curls and pressing their mouths even deeper, amplifying their combined taste of fear and resignation.</p><p>Eiji sheds another tear, closes his eyes and thinks, if this is how kissing is, then he’d rather do no kissing at all.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>four.</strong>
</p><p>Eiji’s will is a force to be reckoned with, Alex knows as soon as he sees the stranger wake up the Boss with a smack to the head and a rather angry string of words, not even batting an eye at the frightful figures of the gang huddled behind him.</p><p>It’s maybe why it doesn’t take him by surprise when Eiji sets his foot down and demands to be taught how to shoot a gun, adamant on being the one to save Ash if it kills him. In a way, it’s endearing, seeing this gangly mess of a foreigner stand his ground against a dozen of gangsters who are twice as buff and skilled at combat as he is.</p><p>Maybe it’s because of his unwavering will, or the harsh look in his eyes, that Alex agrees to helping him fire a weapon, heart skipping a beat when Eiji’s eyes shine brighter than they have in days.</p><p>(Alex tells himself that the drumming against his ribcage is the thrill of finally having a somewhat solid plan towards getting Ash back, but then Eiji smiles again and he knows it isn’t true).</p><p> </p><p>Hours pass by before Eiji manages to shoot down a single can, and Alex has to constantly reign back his need to press Eiji against the nearest surface and kiss him within an inch of his life whenever the doe-eyed Japanese turns to him with yet another frustrated look, eyes cast downcast and eyebrows pinched.</p><p>Bones and Kong tag along for the first few hours, constantly yelling at Eiji to change his stance and cheering when his bullets graze one of the many lined cans. However, they both seem very afraid to walk up to Eiji and correct his posture themselves, instead shouting advice from the sidelines, so Alex has to be the one to circle his hands around Eiji’s and touch his back and pretend that his skin doesn’t burn at the contact.</p><p>By the time the sun’s down, however, it’s just Alex and Eiji. Kong and Bones got tired and waved goodbye by midday, and not even Sing, who popped up for half an hour and promptly left because he had business to tend to, or any other gang members are close enough to pay a visit, so that leaves Alex and Eiji by themselves, the sun setting in the horizon and the wind getting chillier by the second.</p><p>At this point Eiji has already shot down a couple cans, nowhere near enough for him to be considered an even decent shooter, but Alex guesses that they’re enough to suffice.</p><p><em>They need to be, if they want to get Ash out in one piece,</em> a part of his brain bites back, and Alex sighs.</p><p>“Hey, lil’ boss, ready to head back yet?” He yells over the cacophony of rapid-fire gunshots, curling both hands around his mouth in a makeshift megaphone to make himself heard.</p><p>Eiji drops his stance and lowers the gun, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his jacket and nodding, making sure the safety is on before tossing Alex the gun and walking over to the nearest wall, letting his back hit the brick and his knees give out from under him, ending somewhat sprawled across the floor, head tilted towards the darkening sky.</p><p>“I’m starving,” is the first thing Eiji says when Alex approaches him, letting his eyes wander from the stars to Alex and giving him a tired grin, unaware of how the sight pulls dangerously at something inside of him and slowly begins uncurling it, slender fingers smoothing over the bumps the same way Alex wishes to smooth his thumb over the tired cheeks of one doe-eyes Japanese man.</p><p>“Well, yeah, that’s what happens when you skip breakfast and then insist on not going anywhere until you’ve managed to knock down half the cans over there,” he gestures vaguely at the mess of bullets and shards of metal they’ve made, managing to choke out a strained laugh from Eiji that makes his head <em>spin.</em></p><p>To prevent himself from doing something stupid, like dropping down to Eiji’s level, straddling him and smashing their lips together, Alex instead thrusts his hand out, cocks his head and says, “Let’s go.”</p><p>Eiji nods to himself, putting his hand over Alex’s and, <em>oh, Alex really didn’t plan this well,</em> because not only is Eiji’s hand held firmly in his but also when he tugs his arm back to pull Eiji up they both end up standing really, really close to one another, noses inches apart and…</p><p>
  <em>Ah, fuck it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Forgive me, Boss.</em>
</p><p>Not giving himself to back out, Alex brings one hand up to Eiji’s cheek, curls his fingers around the soft flesh, and brings their lips together.</p><p>The kiss doesn’t venture out much besides the soft contact of their lips, Eiji’s hands hovering awkwardly mid-air like they’re not sure if they should push Alex away or reign him in closer. However, Alex doesn’t give Eiji enough time to decide if he wants to slap him or not, because he pulls out immediately, blue eyes looking down to the floor with embarrassment.</p><p>“I should’ve asked first,” is the first thing he says, letting his hand fall from Eiji’s cheek. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>Eiji, who at this point is fed up with people feeling like they’re entitled to his kisses, nods.</p><p>“You should have,” and then, after a beat. “And you should be.”</p><p>Alex grimaces and steps back like he’s been physically hit, shrugging both hands inside his jacket’s pockets and fixing his gaze on a far-off point in the horizon.</p><p>“C’mon, lil’ boss, let me make it up to you with dinner,” Alex gives Eiji a sheepish smile which he hopes conveys his regret and makes a beeline for the exit.</p><p>Alex spends the entire time on the way back nervously picking at the loose threads of his jeans, stealing glances of Eiji here and there and hoping the boss doesn’t beat him up too badly for abusing Eiji’s trust like that, wanting to redeem himself so badly that he even agrees to buy them both overpriced meat sandwiches outside of the subway station with what little pocket money he has just to try and gain back Eiji’s forgiveness, eyes alert as he walks them both to some nearby stairs so they can enjoy their cold pineapple and ham.</p><p>But then Eiji grins shyly at him over the top of his street-cart-bought sandwich, and Alex allows himself to think that things will be okay.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>five.</strong>
</p><p>Eiji’s relief the moment they get Ash under a blanket is palpable, the air around him dissipating like clouds after a downpour. His whole aura lighting up like fireworks on the Fourth of July.</p><p>Sing, too, lets his guard down once they’re safe inside the train tracks, letting Cain and his men in charge of keeping the coast clear as he watches Eiji and Ash from the sidelines, black eyes trained solely on their interactions, trying to keep both his tears and his breathing in check while he busies himself shifting food supplies around.</p><p>“Sing?” Eiji asks from behind him, and if he were any other man, Sing might have jumped ten feet in the air. As it is, the only sign he shows of being startled is a slight raising of his shoulders, turning around with a trained calm look that he perfected from spending so much time around Ash and then running home to practice in front of a mirror. “Oh, sorry, did I scare you?”</p><p>He should’ve known better than to think Eiji was fooled. That man is like a wild predator with how perceptive he is, the slightest flick of someone eyes cluing him in on their inner traumas.</p><p>“Hm?” Sing asks instead, looking at Eiji straight in the eye and trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. “Did you need something, Eiji?”</p><p>The older man smiles sweetly, nodding once before pointing at one of the cans in his hands.</p><p>“Could you give me that, please?” He asks, short and sweet and demanding in a way a life this cruel shouldn’t allow him to be, and Sing feels himself being pulled in deeper. “Ash seems tired, so I want to make sure to get something into his stomach before he dozes off…”</p><p>Eiji trails off as he reaches for the can, their fingers brushing in accident, and Sing feels electricity spark from the contact.</p><p>Sing feels his grip on the can tighten just as he shuts his eyes closed and mutters a quick apology before he stands up on his tip-toes and places a chaste kiss right onto Eiji’s slightly parted lips, immediately jumping back and extending the can back towards him with a shaky arm.</p><p>Eiji blinks back the shock, taking a step forwards and flinching when Sing takes one step backwards in sync. He opens and closes his mouth several times, gaping like a fish, before his hand comes to rest on top of the canned soup.</p><p>“Sing, I…”</p><p>“Don’t say anything, please,” the younger boy pleads, eyes searching around frantically for any onlookers. He passes Eiji the soup can without making eye contact, instead very focused on a dirt stain near his sneakers, and mutter. “Just… go back to Ash, Eiji.”</p><p>And so Eiji does, fingers curling around the metal and a sigh escaping his lips before he turns on his heels and walks back again towards his one and only.</p><p>Once he’s sure no one is in the near vicinity and his sobs won’t be heard, Sing crouches down and allows himself to weep.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>plus one.</strong>
</p><p>The hospital is just the same as Eiji remembers it.</p><p>White, cold, vaguely smelling of antiseptic and lonely.</p><p>Except it’s not, anymore, because not only is he not the one bedridden now, but also it doesn’t represent an ending — or rather, it does, but the story no longer ends in tragedy.</p><p>Instead of wasting away his stay on long-distance calls with his relatives and idly flicking through magazines Ibe buys from him from the vendor outside, now Eiji spends his days by Ash’s side, holding his hand when the pills take a little longer to kick in and brushing his wild golden locks away from his eyes as they both silently read the magazines Sing smuggles in whenever he comes visit, ranging from crossword puzzles to TV gossip to, one unfortunate time, a Playboy that the young boy had snatched along the other zines and forgotten to take out of the pile before handing it over to Eiji.</p><p>(They hadn’t made too much fun of him for that, though, because the next day Sing showed up with a copy of the most recent Weekly Shounen Jump tucked under his arm and Eiji had banned Ash from bringing up the whole Smuggled Porn Mag incident up ever again.</p><p>“it almost looks like you’re trying to steal my boyfriend away from me, brat,” Ash had joked upon seeing the gleeful look on Eiji’s face, gesturing out with an IV-plugged arm at the way he clung tightly to the magazine.</p><p>“Nah,” Sing answered, and there had been something almost resigned in the way his gaze trailed to Eiji and then back to Ash. “Nobody could take him from you if they tried.”)</p><p>Eiji had never thought that staying in the hospital could be an almost religious experience, but turns out that, with the right person, it could be.</p><p>Ash makes for a bothersome patient, but that’s nothing Eiji hadn’t already been aware of. They spend their days hauled inside the tiny white-decked room, surrounded by flowers from all their peers and sending both Alex and Sing to tie any loose strings, smooth things out in the city.</p><p>The day that Ash gives up his Boss title to Alex in front of the boys, however, is by far the best one. Goodbyes are said, tears are shed, hugs are exchanged and when visiting hours come to an end, Eiji places a white envelope in his boyfriend’s hands, practically vibrating in his seat from excitement.</p><p>Ash only raises a curious brow, pale hands that are slowly-but-surely regaining colour tearing open a neat line across the top of the envelope, biting down on a cheeky grin as an idea pops in his mind.</p><p>“Honey, if this is a prank and there’s a Playboy inside of this thing, I swear to God…” Ash trails off as jade catches the words American Airlines written at the very top of whatever lies inside, and he yanks out two airplane tickets, eyes widening in disbelief and looking between tickets and his boyfriend the like somehow they’ll both disappear if he doesn’t stare long enough.</p><p>“You get discharged in a few days, so,” Eiji shifts nervously in his seat, smile blossoming like flowers in spring. “I booked them for next week, thought you might like to get away from all this as soon as possible. I mean, we could’ve done that sooner, if only <em>someone</em> hadn’t gotten himself stabbed as I was boarding my flight.”</p><p>The words are said in a teasing tone, although neither of them can deny the hidden fear laced in them, the wound of Ash’s almost-death still too fresh to be poking at it all willy-nilly. Immediately after having said it, Eiji drops his gaze towards the floor and chokes down a sob.</p><p>“But I dragged my ass from the library to the hospital and pushed through,” Ash carefully places the plane tickets aside and reaches out towards his boyfriend, Eiji melting into the touch as soon as Ash’s fingers graze his cheek. “I would have dragged myself out of hell for you, Eiji.”</p><p>“You did, honey,” the older boy wipes some tears from his face with the back of his hand, taking Ash’s hand in his and bringing up the knuckles to his lips to pepper soft kisses all over them, never once breaking eye contact. “You did and I’m so proud.”</p><p>Ash is hit with the force of how much he loves this boy all at once, needing a moment to close his eyes and bathe in the warmth before blinking them open again. “Can I… can I ask you something?”</p><p>Eiji’s thumb smooths over his palm, inquisitive and comforting and familiar.</p><p>“Anything, Ash,” he says, and Ash can tell from just his tone alone how much he means it. He could ask for a Starbucks or the Mona Lisa and Eiji would heist the Louvre and pick up a Caramel Macchiato in the way back if only that made Ash remotely happy.</p><p>“I know I’ve kissed you before, but I didn’t do it right,” a sheepish smile, soft white cheeks get dusted over by a pretty pink blush. “So, Eiji Okumura, can I kiss you?”</p><p>It’s the first time someone has asked, the first time Eiji has been directly addressed for consent, the first time someone has cared enough to look him in the eye and smile in that reassuring way that says without words that if he doesn’t want it then it’s not happening.</p><p>And, Eiji realizes with a start, this is also the first time that he’s wanted to kiss someone back.</p><p>So he nods once, twice, thrice, and then lets his eyes shutter close and leans down as Ash reaches up and meets him halfway.</p><p>And this is by far his first kiss, nor is it the most experimental or wildest one, for that matter.</p><p>Still, as Eiji closes his eyes and hums around the sensation of another mouth on his, he finds out this is the first kiss of his that has felt like <em>something.</em></p><p>
  <em>Home.</em>
</p><p>Eiji grins into the kiss, brings one hand up to the back of Ash’s face, and pulls him in closer.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you liked it pls leave a comment and kudos because I like the validation, thanks xoxo.</p><p>Follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/_valeria_h_p_">Twitter</a>,  <a href="http://valery-snowflakes.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> and also check out my <a href="https://curiouscat.me/valery_snowflakes">Curious Cat</a> because I'm an attention whore. </p><p>If you’re interested in makeup and the like, consider following my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/valhp_mua/">Instagram</a> because I wanna be famous lmao.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>